CheckPoint

e.tv (*194) 22:00 Current affairs

Investigative journalist Nkepile Mabuse asks the questions no one wants to ask but everyone wants the answers to as anchor of current affairs show CheckPoint (2014-current). She scours the country and gets to the bottom of stories “and we try to give our viewers all the information they need to make up their own minds,” says the anchor.

Was this always your career plan? Not at all. Journalism came into my life by coincidence. I studied civil engineering at Wits Technikon and worked in the industry for four years. I wanted a change and I found out about a production assistant job through a friend at church – it was with now-CBS correspondent Debora Patta, who started 3rd Degree in 2000. I applied and fell in love. And you worked your way up? Yes, from production assistant to researcher, then producer. I was a reporter with eNews until 2008, then I joined CNN as their Africa correspondent. But there wasn’t much scope for investigative journalism, so I started CheckPoint, which presses all the right buttons for me. You’re not just the anchor, right? I’m also the executive producer and I manage the team, budget, content and decide on the look of the show. The hours are crazy but I love it. It’s helped me grow. How are topics chosen? Our viewers are our biggest contributors. We do stories that people want to see. We also have a strong team of in-house producers who are in touch with the zeitgeist in the communities in which they live. Is there such a thing as a perfect story? No, because we never stop learning. Even when I feel vaguely happy with the end product, there is always someone who has had a different view or experience that could’ve been included.